Jeremiah 1:4-10 (NRSV)
Read Jeremiah 1:4-10 on biblegateway.com
Verse 4Now the word of the Lord came to me saying, Verse 5"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations." Verse 6Then I said, "Ah, Lord God! Truly I do not know how to speak, for I am only a boy." Verse 7But the Lord said to me, "Do not say, 'I am only a boy'; for you shall go to all to whom I send you, and you shall speak whatever I command you, Verse 8Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, says the Lord." Verse 9Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth; and the Lord said to me, "Now I have put my words in your mouth. Verse 10See, today I appoint you over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to pull down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant."
Devotion
The wonder and power of a calling is that God can transform what we take to be limits into gifts for good. Jeremiah was too young to be a prophet, so God put the necessary words into his fresh mouth.
When I was a youth, a wise woman touched me with sage words. It was not long after I graduated from college, in an adult forum at Ascension Lutheran Church in Los Angles. I wish that I could remember the woman's name; I'm certain she was involved in social service with elderly people. What she said that I do remember was simple but profound: at every stage of our lives, there are things that we cannot do. And the corollary is that at every stage there are things that we can do. Now that I am no longer so young, I take courage from this woman's observation and Jeremiah's example.
Prayer
Ah, Lord God, when I do not know how to speak or what to do, touch my lips and open my eyes. Put words in my mouth and guide my actions to accomplish your creative purposes. Amen.